North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The porgy and sea bass fishing on the North Shore is nothing short of fantastic, according to Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson; so much so that they have pushed back their hunt for blackfish until October 24th to take advantage of haul job trips off Old Field and at the Middle Grounds. Captain Stu of Northport Charters in Northport agrees saying the water is still a bit too warm for the blackfish bite to pick up so they are focusing their attention at the Triangle off Eatons Neck for scup and sea bass. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported the best sea bass fishing he has seen in years at the local wrecks and rock piles, and using high-low rigs tipped with clam will keep the short tog away. However, John said the blackfish bite is fairly good with a few quality fish in the 7 to 8 pound range caught this week. They are mainly shallow in 10 to 50 feet of water, but the deeper rock piles are beginning to be more productive.
Phil from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport reported chopper blues and a few schoolies in the back bays and harbors rounding up the remaining schools of bunker. Either side of the tide is catching fish, but the incoming to high tide saw the best action. Small bass are also cruising the North Shore beaches, and John at Terminal Tackle said the fishing is so-so at night using eels and swimming plugs. Jigging for blues at Cranes and Eatons Neck using 2 to 4 ounce diamond jigs produced a few decent fish, and there are even a handful of snappers still around in Northport Harbor.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree reported nice tog action on the good incoming tides this week with fish in the 6 to 9 pound range. The fishing was more consistent inside the bays, but they would head offshore if the tide wasn’t quite right. The Fire Island Reef gave up blackfish to 10 pounds, according to Mark at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon, and Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported limits of tog from 6 to 10 pounds at the AB Reef on green crabs. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said there were a lot of shorts caught around Black Banks Island, but a few quality keepers to 9 pounds did hit the decks. Mike from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said the eastern South Shore reefs, such as Shinnecock and Moriches, were holding a good number of tog also.
Bassing got real hot this week in the ocean outside of Jones Inlet, according to Robert from Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport. Bay Park Fishing Station reported anglers having some luck trolling bunker spoons outside of Debs Inlet in about 50 feet of water for stripers to 39 pounds. Inside the bays, Bill at Combs Bait & Tackle said eels were the go-to at night from the Fire Island Coast Guard Station to the Lighthouse on an outgoing tide. Clam bellies were also working around the Wantagh Bridge and from the creeks out to Merrick Bay, also on the outgoing. Guys have been able to catch bass from the beaches and off the boats this week east and west of Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets, according to Mike at White Water. Anglers had to jump around the bunker pods to find out which one the bass are on, but they hammered fish once located.
Albies are still around on the eastern South Shore, but they are not as abundant as in past weeks.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle said there is a hot tog bite right now with fish in the 10 to 11 pound class off Rye, Captains Island, and Mamaroneck. Anglers fishing rock piles are pulling up a lot of 15 inch shorts, but those focusing on big drop offs were rewarded with nice keepers. Pea Island, Huckleberry Island, and Stamford Reef are also good places to focus on for blackfish, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. There are a lot of shorts to keepers, but if you put in the work, catching your limit isn’t a problem. Around the southern Metro area, Frank from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said that the porgy, sea bass, and tog that were in Jamaica Bay have moved just outside, and anglers are hitting better numbers and a higher quality of fish there.
Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said there were stripers to 30 pounds caught this week on eels at night at Breezy Point, with a number of shorts and smaller keepers in the mix. A few other fish were found on the beaches a bit to the east from Rockaway to Fort Tilden, according to Frank at Bernie’s. The bite is still spotty, but continues to pick up with fish of just keeper size caught on Super Strikes, metal lip darters, bait, and eels.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said the Peconic Bay is beginning to quiet down, but scup can still be found at Buoys 16, 17, and 18. In the Sound, porgy action is consistent at Hortons Point, and a good blackfish bite can be found from Hortons to Orient in 15 feet of water using green crabs. The bottom fishing for scup and sea bass is very strong at the Point, according to Courtney from Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk, and those that travelled to Fishers Island for tog were rewarded with nice hauls of fish.
Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk said they held their 5th Annual Striped Bass Tournament over the weekend, and the first prize fish weighed in at 41 pounds 7 ounce, followed up by 39 pound 4 ounce and 35 pound 4 ounce bass. Surfcasters have had a steady night bite at the Lighthouse for small bass in the 25 to 30 inch range, according to Nick from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk, and Camp Hero was on fire this week with guys pulling 40 to 50 fish in a morning. For those in boats, Courtney at Montauk Marine Basin said trolling and eels are working well for the stripers at the Point.
Ben at Star Island said the fishing for false albacore keeps getting better and better off the Point, and Bill from Jamesport reported albies scattered in the Sound from Hortons Point to Mattituck Inlet.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Bottom fishing is a no brainer right now. Porgy and scup are huge and hungry, and blackfishing is yielding a lot of action with the quality of fish getting better each week as the water cools. If you find the right grounds, your mixed bag could be pretty awesome. Scup and sea bass are generally fished together as they are a bit deeper right now, but the tog are still relatively shallow. That doesn’t mean, however, that the blackfish bite won’t pick up in deeper water within the near future. The usual baits are working well for all species, with clam and clam chum key for porgy and sea bass and green and Asian crabs doing the job for blackfish.
Fall striper fishing is definitely upon us with fishing being pretty consistent on the East End. We are now also seeing sizable bass moving on the South Shore and a few out in western Long Island and schoolies on the North Shore. The fish are biting on a number of things, including eels, bunker, bucktails, darters, and swimming plugs. Things should only continue to get better in coming weeks.
The time to go fishing is now! Between the bottom and bass fishing, things are pretty insane at the moment. However, do it safely. There is small craft advisory in effect, and it looks like seas will be building to 6 to 9 feet through Saturday. Boating seems to be out of the question until conditions improve, but if you have the means, fishing off the beaches is a good option. If you do get on a boat, the North Shore and many of the bays are your safest bets.